


Unlikely Friends

by TweakerWolf (Frostbyte)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Animal AU, Fox!Stiles, Gen, Wolf!Derek, animal fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-04-29
Packaged: 2018-06-05 04:17:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6688852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frostbyte/pseuds/TweakerWolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wolf!Derek and Fox!Stiles (based off art, links inside). Derek comes across a young fox, all alone and he debates eating them for a snack.  But then his paw gets caught in a trap and somehow, the fox helps break him out of it! So of course Derek can’t eat him now… but the damned fox won’t leave him alone!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unlikely Friends

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of these pieces of [art](http://ginruru.tumblr.com/tagged/derek%21wolf) (posted/written with permission by [ginruru](http://ginruru.tumblr.com/))  
> I saw these floating around tumblr for awhile now and I always thought they were cute. Then as I got more into fanfiction I realized that it was okay to ask permission, that a lot of artists (as long as they are given credit of course) love to have fics written that were inspired by their art. So I asked if I could write a story based off of their pieces and they said yes!! So here's my lengthy version of Wolf!Derek and Fox!Stiles =D

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Stiles meet, although things don't go smoothly. Leave it to Stiles to just make friends with a big scary wolf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the art only included Derek and Stiles but I couldn't write just the two of them, had to include some of the other TW characters as well =)

Derek sniffed the air, looking for something to catch his attention…  He was just trotting along, no destination in mind and he was bored. Just as he was about to give up and take a nap, he heard a high pitched cry. Slowly he followed the noise, not wanting to startle whatever creature it was, it always paid to be cautious. It wasn’t long before he saw a small orange lump pacing in front of a large boulder; he crouched down low and slunk forward, maybe a light snack before a nap?

Stiles was pacing, lost… he’d promised his dad that he wouldn’t wander too far but, then he’d seen the rabbit and gave chase… Now he wasn’t sure how to get home. This was bad, very bad! He jumped as he heard a branch snap somewhere behind him, heart racing. “Who’s there?” he called out, scanning the trees. It was too much to hope that his dad had found him, better to be on alert.

“Just what are you doing out here all alone little fox?” Derek called out, coming into view. No need for stealth any longer, he could nab the small kit in just one leap now.

“W-who says I’m alone?”

The wolf chuckled, “I’m a keen predator, I hear no other heartbeats, smell no other animals nearby. You’re small enough to still be with your parents, and since no adult fox has tried to chase me away yet, that means you’re alone.”

Stiles flattened his ears and let out a pathetic growl, “I still have my own teeth to defend myself!” Stiles knew that he couldn’t die here, that would mean his dad would be all alone and heartbroken… He would fight tooth and nail to get back to his dad, huge black wolf or no huge black wolf standing in his way! But then the wolf snarled in return and Stiles saw just how big his teeth were… noticed the huge paws that could easily crush him if they landed on his back… Running wasn’t really an option… Foxes were fast but he was still a kit with short legs, this wolf would easily catch him. Maybe he could talk his way out of this though- his dad always said that he talked too much for a fox! So he cleared his throat and smiled, “You, um, wouldn’t really eat me right? I mean, I’m so small! Hardly a good meal for a wolf of your size. You’re just playing a prank to scare me, aren’t you? Ha, ha, um, I’m totally scared, you can’t stop now…”

Derek tilted his head, one paw still in the air, he’d never seen this before- a fox trying to talk his way out of being eaten? No… foxes were sly creatures, keen to pull pranks on you if they so fancied, but in survival situations, they relied on their speed and dexterity. What was this fox up to?

Seeing that the wolf had paused, Stiles felt hope! “I’m sorry for growling at you, it was um, just a natural reaction, you know? But, there’s really no need to eat me, like I said, I’m just so small… not even worth the effort of catching me.”

“Well you see, it’s been awhile since I’ve had breakfast, and I think you’re just the right size to hold me over until dinner little fox.” Derek stepped forward, knowing that the kit was too scared to even run, an easy kill. But then there was a metallic clank and his leg was on fire. Derek looked down and saw that his forepaw was trapped… hunters must have passed through here… a scared whine escaped his throat before he could rein it in, and the pain was almost too much to bear. He tugged, yelped, and snarled as he tried to get his leg free…

Stiles sucked in a breath and closed his eyes as the wolf stepped closer once more, this was it… he was done for… a loud clang snapped him out of it and he blindly took off running, dodging around tree roots, waiting to feel those big paws on his back. But they never came and slowly Stiles became aware that he wasn’t being followed… had it all just been a mean prank after all? As he ducked into a bush, he became aware of the vicious snarls with the occasional pained whimper… That didn’t sound good… Slowly, ever so slowly, Stiles crawled back towards where the wolf was. At first he thought to wolf was just mad that he had missed out on his meal but then he caught the scent of blood. “A-are you okay?” he squeaked out, still well out of range of those jaws.

“No I’m not okay!” Derek snarled, in too much pain to be surprised by the fact that the little fox had come back. “I can’t get my leg out and if I’m still here when the hunters come back…” He leaned down and nosed at his paw, he was going to miss it but… better than being trapped and waiting to die. Carefully he started to lick it, amping himself up…

“What are you doing?! Don’t… don’t do that!” Stiles cried out, horrified. Was he really going to…?

“How else am I supposed to get free? I don’t have time for your squeamish-ness, get out of here… this is going to be hard enough.”

“I… Let me try to help, please?”

Derek huffed, rolling his eyes despite the pain, “Help, from a fox? And what are you going to do?”

“I, um, haven’t thought about it yet, first you have to promise not to eat me when I come closer!”

“I lost my appetite anyways, I won’t eat you…” He sighed, it couldn’t hurt to let the little fox try, if it meant even the tiniest sliver of hope that he wouldn’t have to part with his paw.

Slowly Stiles crept closer, keeping a wary eye on the larger predator, but he didn’t make any sudden movements. The fox sniffed at the trap, gently reaching forward to push at the flat part right under the wolf’s paw. Which caused said wolf to growl. Loudly.

“Easy with the nudging! It hurts!”

“I didn’t mean to,” Stiles apologized, ducking back. But no teeth dug into his skin so he went back to his investigation, being extra careful not to nudge the injured paw.

Derek waited, his whole leg throbbing now, did the fox have an idea or not? He wasn’t very patient on a good day, let alone when he was in agonizing pain… But he could do nothing but watch as the fox poked his nose here and there, studying the trap.

“I think I get it but um, I’m going to need your help…”

“What do you need me to do, besides not bite your head when this hurts?”

Stiles glared up at the wolf, “Now isn’t the time for threats! I’m trying to help.”

“It wasn’t a threat… I’m just letting you know, this is going to hurt and I may lash out. I will do my best not to, it was more of a forewarning.”

“Oh. Well um, I think these two parts are what’s holding the trap closed on your leg. And I’m not big enough to press both of them at the same time… So I’ll do this side, and you press down on that one with your good paw,” Stiles explained, pointing to the various parts of the trap. He got onto one side of the trap and waited for the wolf to signal that he was ready as well. Together, they slowly pressed down, Stiles silently cheering as he noticed it was working!

Derek groaned in pain, snarling loudly as the blood rushed back to his paw, increasing the pain level. Stiles ducked away out of fear and reflex and Derek barely managed to wrangle his paw free before the trap shut again. He collapsed onto his haunches, panting heavily, he was free! “Thank you little fox, you actually did it. I guess that means that I can’t eat you, the least I can do is keep my promise.”

Stiles beamed! He wasn’t going to get eaten! It had been a pretty big risk, once the wolf was free, it wouldn’t be hard for him to just attack. Or even make an argument about needing the meal as nourishment to build up his strength. Although, speaking of, Stiles watched as Derek started to limp away… “How close are you to your pack?”

“Not really, why?” What kind of question was that, out of the blue…

“How… how are you going to eat then? You won’t be able to catch anything like that,” Stiles told him. “Come with me, I can help…”

Derek turned and stared at the young fox, “Why? Why would you continue to help me? I was threatening to eat you… I’m a wolf and you’re a fox… You don’t owe me any kindness.”

“It’s just the way I was raised. My dad says that I’m not very fox-like but, I’m just Stiles. Um, that’s me by the way, my name. If I’m going to be helping you, you might as well know my name.”

“Stiles eh? Well I’m Derek although, I don’t know how much help you’re going to be. I’m quite large so I doubt you could catch anything big enough to feed me and yourself at the same time.”

“Well, my dad can help me hunt. And we might not find anything big but you won’t starve, that’s better than nothing right?”

“I don’t know how long this will take to heal… I can’t ask you and your dad to feed me that long. It will impact your prey levels.” Derek would figure something out, he always did.  He was polite enough to know better than to just let this small fox hunt his prey out to try and feed him. But Stiles fixed him with such a strong glare that Derek was taken aback.

“I’m helping you whether you want me to or not! You don’t have to be all alone… How… hmmm, how about you howl? If you let your family know where you are, they can come to you and bring food for you. And until they get here, Dad and I can feed you.”

Derek could do nothing but follow Stiles, totally surprised by how adamant he was being; it wasn’t like Stiles was literally dragging him along yet, he couldn’t turn away from the small creature either. At this point, Derek knew it was easier to just go with the flow, if Stiles wanted to help so badly, Derek would be gracious enough to accept it. So he just limped along behind the orange, talkative ball of fluff, only partially paying attention to what he was saying.

“So, I’m thinking that you should at least wait with the howling until we’ve talked to Dad, and maybe found something to eat- you know, a wolf howl will probably scare most of the smaller creatures back into their dens! Dad’s really good at finding rabbits, rabbits are big enough for you right? I mean, it will at least hold you over for awhile. And Dad always shares meals with me, so that’s only like 2 rabbits today, not bad at all!” Stiles rambled as he picked his way through the forest. Things were starting to look familiar now- he knew he could find his way home! “We’re almost there, I think…”

“You think?” Derek sighed.

“Well, when you found me, I was kinda lost but I know this section of the woods, like I definitely recognize it! So-”

Stiles was cut off as the bushes next to him rustled and then his father jumped out of them, yelling for Stiles to run as he bravely charged Derek.

“Dad, wait, no!”

“OW! Get off!” Derek snarled, cradling his injured paw to his chest. The only reason he managed to stop himself from attacking was because he heard Stiles call this fox ‘Dad’. Thankfully Stiles quickly jumped between them, stopping the assault on his injured leg.

“Dad, this is Derek! He’s not dangerous… well, I mean, he is ‘cause he’s a wolf but he wasn’t trying to eat me other anything… I helped him get out of a trap and he promised not to eat me.”

John huffed, trying to move his son out of the way, “And what makes you think he’s going to keep that promise?”

“Wha- Dad!” Talk about embarrassing- Derek was right there! Like he wasn’t even trying to be quiet about it! “I’m sorry Derek, Dad’s just… protective, you know how that is. I’m a small fox but I’m capable of taking care of myself most of the time. I mean, I helped you out of the trap! Dad, he’s hurt and his pack isn’t super close by…”

“What have I told you about bringing home strays Stiles?” his dad sighed.

Derek blinked, “This is a regular occurrence?!”

“Oh yes, last month it was a baby bird that was still learning how to fly. At first he tried to climb the tree to get the bird back into his nest but it was too high. So he kept the bird company until his feathers grew in.”

“Hey! Scott’s like my best friend now! He’s helped us find prey now and then, don’t act like you don’t love Scott too!” Stiles called out.

“I didn’t say that I didn’t like him, I was just explaining to Derek that you have a habit of caring for other creatures… I can see that you aren’t going to back down on this either… But he better not try to eat us.”

“Well, that’s why we hunt for him and give him food, that way he won’t be starving.”

“Really, you don’t have to… I had something to eat earlier today and my pack isn’t too far from here-”

“Nonsense!” Stiles cut in. “I told Derek he could howl for his family, since… just the two of us obviously can’t feed him indefinitely but, just for today… right Dad?”

John looked the wolf over, saw how he had his ears tucked down and he wasn’t looking at them directly, he was nervous. Wolves weren’t known for their acting ability so it wasn’t likely that he was faking. “It couldn’t hurt, with a wolf around, the other, larger predators will give our den a wider berth. I’m John by the way, nice to meet you.”

“Thank you, for helping me, both of you.”

John nodded and lead the way back to their small den. They hadn’t been living in it long so it really wasn’t a surprise that Stiles had gotten lost. Thankfully it hadn’t ended badly… “You two wait here, I’ll see what I can scrounge up.”

Stiles looked over at Derek with a frown, “Dad says I’m not quiet enough… that I always alert prey to my location, that’s why he doesn’t let me come with him on the important hunts. So I end up eating a lot of bugs and berries… I am good at catching mice though! But… Dad says that I’ll never move out, because he has to take care of me since I’m not a good hunter… I can hunt!”

“He’s just teasing you I’m sure,” Derek commented, lying down.

“Yea, probably, so um, how’s your leg? Is it really bothering you?”

“It hurts but I don’t think anything is broken so that’s good. Hopefully that means it won’t take long to heal. Then I’ll be out of your hair.”

Before either of them could say anything else, a small finch landed nearby, calling out to Stiles.

“Whoa, um, why is there a wolf here?”

“Oh, hey Scott! This is Derek! He was going to eat me and then his paw got stuck in a hunter’s trap and I helped free him! Now Dad and I are going to help him while he recuperates,” Stiles explained, rushing over to greet his friend.

“Ah, taking in another rescue then?” Scott laughed. He hopped towards Derek, “In all seriousness though, Stiles is a good fox, him and his dad, they saved me too.”

“It will only be until my pack gets here…” Derek mumbled. He wasn’t sure why but it felt weird to admit that he was being taken care of by two foxes. Maybe it was just embarrassing, a larger predator like himself needing help.

“Still, you’re in good paws, I promise,” the finch stated.

“C’mon, let’s play!” Stiles yipped, pouncing at the small bird.

Derek watched as the two animals played together, they were clearly good friends and their antics helped to distract him from the pain. It wasn’t long though before John came back, a juicy rabbit in his jaws; he walked over and dropped it in front of Derek.

“Biggest one I could find.”

Derek’s mouth started to water as he looked at the rabbit, “You really didn’t have too, I know that trying to feed me is going to be hard.”

“Eat,” John told him. “It’s one rabbit, besides, foxes are omnivores, we don’t have to solely eat meat to survive, unlike you. So there are plenty of other food options for us around here.”

Needing no other enticing, Derek started eating.

“Wow, that didn’t take long at all,” Stiles commented, just watching the rabbit disappear.

“Don’t watch him eat, it’s rude,” his dad chided, pawing at his ears.

“Sorry… how about I go scrounge up some mice for us then?”

John smiled, “That sounds nice, you are good at finding them. Just don’t get lost, okay?”

“Naw, Scott can come with me, he’ll stop me from wandering too far.”

And with that, Stiles and Scott went off in search of mice. Enough time passed that John was starting to worry when Stiles appeared, 3 mice hanging from his mouth.

“Here you go Dad. I ate the first few I found so I’m not hungry,” Stiles informed him as he put the mice down by his dad.

“Well, thank you, I appreciate it.”

Stiles hopped on over to Derek, “So, have you howled yet? I didn’t hear any howling, I thought you were going to let your family know where you were…”

“I was… getting to it,” Derek moaned, cracking an eye open. All he really wanted to do was sleep through the worst of the pain but the small fox paws pushing on his shoulder were preventing that from happening.

“I’m sure they’re worried about you though…”

“Not really, I often wander off, it’s almost time for me to decide if I want to stay with the Pack or try and form my own. They’d only worried if they hadn’t heard from me in a week. But if it means you’ll stop nudging me then I’ll howl!”

“Yay!” Honestly, Stiles just wanted to hear it, the faraway howls he heard at night were so beautiful… Now he had the chance to hear one up close! He sat back, eyes wide as Derek shifted a bit, lifting his head and breathing in. Stiles’s jaw dropped as Derek sang, howl starting of soft but quickly gaining power. He howled for a few minutes before, off in the distance, they heard a response.

“My mom and sister are coming. They’ll probably be here by nightfall, since they can actually run,” Derek informed them.

Stiles ran around the small clearing, super excited- he was going to see even more wolves tonight! But then his dad asked a very sobering question.

“And how do we know they aren’t going to try and eat us when they get here, or kill us as easy food for you?”

“My mother isn’t like that, she’s very adamant about only hunting the weak and the sick of the herd. She knows that even two foxes, well an adult and a kit, wouldn’t really be that filling of a meal for me. Besides, she’s very astute, she would recognize that you are near me because you don’t fear me eating you and that means that we know each other in some way,” Derek assured them. Thankfully it was Laura that was coming with her, and not Cora… Not that Cora would eat them either but, she’d definitely pretend like she would, just to scare them. She was still young and didn’t know when teasing was okay.

“See Dad, nothing to worry about!”

“I was just checking, it’s about time to sleep for awhile, tell Scott you’ll see him tomorrow,” John said, nodding to the finch.

“Bye Scott…. It kinda sucks that you’re a daytime creature and we’re nighttime creatures…” Stiles sighed. He liked playing with Scott but finches slept at night whereas that was when Stiles felt wide awake. Although, there were times, like today, when he was up during the daytime and he did get to play with Scott. Those days were nice, and Scott did understand that they were different and never pouted about it.

“I’ll stop by tomorrow and you can tell me how it goes,” Scott offered before flying off.

Stiles walked over to Derek and clambered onto his back, easily curling up.

“What are you doing?” Derek asked, trying to turn his head to see the fox.

“Getting’ comfortable,” he mumbled, already close to sleep. One of the perks of being young, it only took moments to fall asleep.

“Don’t even try to move him, it’s hopeless,” John chuckled as he also walked over. “Once he gets attached, he stays attached.”

“I’m not a pillow!”

“You are now.”

Derek huffed and laid his chin back down… he’d debated rolling over, to make the fox slide off but he could tell that Stiles would only climb back on him. It wasn’t worth the effort honestly… might as well get some rest while he waited for his family to show up.


End file.
